The present invention is directed to an improved contact lens disinfector unit.
Contact lenses, both of the hard and soft type, often must be disinfected before they are suitable for use. To this end, each contact lens of a pair is inserted into a separate container or receptacle for holding the right and left lenses spaced apart so that they do not become confused. A quantity of fluid is then administered to the containers and then the lens case comprised of the separate container is placed in a disinfector unit. The lens case is in direct contact with the heating block of the unit and the fluid within the containers is in direct contact with the lenses. After the disinfecting temperature has been reached and maintained for a sufficient period of time, the lens case and the contact lenses contained therein are permitted to cool before removal from the disinfector unit.
Prior contact lens disinfector units have relied upon gravitational forces for assuring that the contact lens cases are in contact with the disinfector unit heating block. While heat transfer from the heating blocks to the contact lens cases in these prior disinfector units has been adequate, increased heat transfer efficiency between the heating blocks and the contact lens cases would, of course, be desirable.
Furthermore, disinfector units of the prior art have generally included a hinged cover and a lens case recess having a bottom surface formed by the heating block. In order to place a lens case into such a disinfector unit, it is first necessary to lift the hinged cover to expose the recess, place the lens case in the recess so that the bottom of the case engages the surface of the heating block, and then close the hinged cover. For removing the lens case from the disinfector unit, it is necessary to lift the hinged cover, manually grab the lens case and then reclose the hinged cover. While disinfector units of this variety have proved to be generally successful, the hinged cover arrangement of these disinfector units have not maximized the convenience of using such units. Furthermore after the disinfection of the lenses has been completed, the lens case may still be hot to the touch. Obviously, should the user grab the contact lens case before it has cooled sufficiently, injury to the operator may result.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved contact lens disinfector unit which assures increased heat transfer efficiency between the heating block and the contact lens case.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved contact lens disinfector unit wherein the contact lens case may be received within the disinfector unit against the heating block with greater ease.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a contact lens disinfector unit which includes an improved ejector mechanism for removing the contact lens case from the disinfector unit without requiring the operation to touch the lens case as it is ejected from the disinfector unit.
The device embodying the invention includes a housing, a heating block within the housing for heating a lens case and the contact lenses therein, a lens case receiving compartment within the housing adjacent to the heating block and having an opening permitting sliding insertion of the lens case into the compartment for surface contact with the heating block, and ejector means actuable externally of the housing and including pusher means for causing the lens case to slide out of the compartment through the opening.
The present invention further provides such a disinfector unit which includes biasing means within the contact lens case receiving compartment for urging the lens case against the heating block to increase heat transfer efficiency from the heating block to the contact lens case.
The invention further provides a barrier wall between the lens case compartment and the region of the housing that contains electrical circuitry that reduces the possibility of electric shock and aids in heating the lens case.